The Comanche Vampire

by The Comanche Vampire [Evernight] (mobi)

  “That’s a silly question, honey. Yeah, it is.”

  If he stayed another moment, he’d want her and they lacked time. Soon as we’re home, then we can spend the rest of the day doing it. Satisfied he’d be sated soon, Ned headed to the kitchen. He watched the snow continue to fall as he waited for it to brew and by the time Anne joined him, a blanket of white covered the parking area, all the vehicles, and the road. She sidled up behind him and saw it. “Wow,” she said. “You didn’t exaggerate. Do you think we can still get to your place?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “The truck’s four wheel drive and it’ll go almost anywhere. It tracks better when it’s slick than Dog ever did.”

  Anne shot him a wide-eyed stare. “What?”

  Aware he’d fumbled, Ned spread his hands wide. He wasn’t really sorry but frustrated. Keeping his past separate from his present became daily more difficult. “I just meant riding a horse in this kind of weather could be risky, too. They do well in snow but if there’s any ice, their hooves tend to slide. It’s dangerous for the horse and rider.”

  “Oh, I guess it would be.” She accepted the coffee he handed her. “I didn’t know you’d named one of your horses ‘Dog’ like your ancestor.”

  He hadn’t of course, but kept silent. Ned sipped his coffee. “Well, we won’t be doing any riding today, that’s for sure.”

  She shivered. “I wouldn’t think so. Did you want some breakfast before we go?”

  Food didn’t rank as a high priority so Ned shrugged. He’d had the blood he needed and lacked appetite as well as interest. “If you want to eat, we can.”

  “Aren’t you hungry?”

  Ned shook his head. “No, I had something before I left work … but go ahead, if you are.”

  “All right, I will.” She sorted through the cupboard and pulled out a box of toaster pastries. Anne had talked him into trying them once. He hadn’t cared for the hard, dry squares with a minute amount of filling. “Do you want one?”

  “No, thanks.”

  She nuked her tarts in the microwave and headed for the living room. Ned followed and plopped down in his usual spot when Anne flipped the wall switch. He expected the soft glow of the lamp but instead a hundred bright colorful points of light burst into his vision. A two-foot tall Christmas tree sat in place of the lamp on the end table. The sparkling lights revealed silver snowflakes, stars, and cylinders. A gold garland wrapped around the small tree. Until then, he’d failed to notice the other decorations, silk poinsettias, cards hung along the bedroom doorway, and a wreath in the window. Anne curled up into her favorite chair and tucked her feet beneath her. She nibbled at her pastries and smiled. “I decorated for Christmas. How do you like it?”

  Ned didn’t, not really. Christmas and the holidays were foreign to him. He’d watch it grow from a short celebration among Christians to a huge, crazy season with old men in red suits, talking snowmen and wild-eyed reindeer. He shied away from anything connected with it out of general principal but the glow in Anne’s eyes indicated she liked it as much as he didn’t. “It’s pretty,” he said. And, for the first time, he could see where the miniature lights on a cold winter’s day or night might have appeal. They banished back shadows and delivered cheer.

  Her face lit with a child’s delight. “I love Christmas,” she said. “And even though I don’t much like the weather, it’s not so bad when it’s getting close to Christmas. It fits the season. I just hope it’s over and melted when I go home. Have you decided if you’re coming with me?”

  All he’d wanted was to take his woman home, hunker down and stay warm but somehow Christmas and Anne’s trip back to visit were stumbling blocks in his path. Ned almost wished he’d gone home alone but he craved her company. Love was proving to be far more complicated than he’d ever imagined. But, it was worth it so with a sigh Ned said, “I’m going to try, Anne.”

  Tension coiled in his belly like a nest of rattlesnakes at the possibility. The idea of spending several days in the company of humans scared him more than any raid he’d ever made, battle he’d fought or enemy encountered. But damn it, she wanted him to and he longed to please her. Anne smiled with such radiance he could almost feel the warmth. “Ned, do you mean it?”

  He nodded and in a gruff voice said, “Yeah, I’ll try. But if I can’t get off work or the weather’s bad like this, I can’t promise.”

  She polished off the rest of the tart and licked her fingers. “Thank you,” she said. “I need to say I’m not coming in. Then let me get some boots on and we can go.”

  Ned waited while she donned her western boots, something she’d apparently worn for years. Until Anne, his idea of a college professor included horn-rimmed glasses, high intelligence, and an air of superiority. Anne possessed the brains but nothing else he’d imagined fit. She pulled the boots over her tight jeans and buttoned a heavy coat over the long sweater she wore. Then she added a woolen cap over her hair and picked up her oversized bag.

  “I’m ready,” she announced. “Can we turn on the TV first? It does look like there’s a lot coming down and maybe they’ve already cancelled classes.”

  His patience would soon be thinner than his remaining blood but he nodded. “Go ahead.” Dozens of closings and cancellations scrolled along the bottom of the screen and Anne’s college was listed. “I don’t need to call now,” she told him.

  “Then let’s get going.”

  “Where’s your coat?”

  Ned laughed. “I’m wearing it.” His well-worn denim jacket served as his sole outer garment. Cold blooded by nature he seldom bundled up in anything, totally aware it’d do no good. If he could, he’d wrap up in a buffalo hide or bearskin. In bitter temperatures, he missed his horned headdress. It’d been both impressive and warm.

  “Don’t you have anything heavier?”

  He shook his head. “I’m good. But we need to go before the snow’s even deeper.”

  When they emerged they found a white, frozen world. The snow that had just begun to cover everything when Ned arrived had increased to several inches deep. He tucked Anne’s bag behind the seat and started the truck. Then he stepped back into the sharp breeze to clear the windshield while the engine warmed. By the time he climbed into the cab, shivers wracked his body and Anne grabbed his hand. “Ned, you’re freezing!”

  “I’m a little cold but I’m fine.” And he would be, although he didn’t dare admit how much more chilled than usual he’d become.

  “Your hand’s like ice, Ned. I don’t want you to get sick.”

  Impossible unless he couldn’t get blood but she wasn’t aware. “I won’t, honey.”

  Anne sneezed. “I hope not. I think I’m coming down with a cold.”

  Ned figured after almost a century and a half, he’d have forgotten how miserable one could be with a runny nose, cough, and the urge to sneeze, but when she mentioned it, he realized he hadn’t. “Maybe you won’t,” he said with hope. As if to prove him wrong, a coughing spasm struck her and she hacked. “Maybe not,” Anne said but Ned thought they both suspected she already had.

  Little traffic marred the snow packed streets as Ned navigated through Lawton and away from town. Beneath the truck wheels, the pavement became increasingly treacherous the farther they traveled. Ned maintained a steady speed, not too slow but not fast as the truck tracked, steady as a tortoise on the move. The trip out to his place took more than twice as long but they made it. Powerful gusts buffeted the vehicle and when he parked beside the house, the visibility had dropped to almost nothing. He helped Anne out of the truck and carried her case to the front door.

  “It’s unlocked,” he shouted over the rising wind. “Go on in. I need to make sure the ponies can get to the barn and feed them. I’ll be right in, okay?”

  Anne shivered as she nodded. “Sure.”

  “Get warmed up,” Ned told her. “I’ll start a fire when I come inside.”

  His horses huddled in the small lean-to that served as a barn so he tossed them some
hay and hurried inside. He brought in an armload of wood and while Anne puttered in the kitchen, Ned got a fire going in the hearth. Heat soon spread through the small house although outside, snow continued to come down fast and furious. Wind gusted hard enough to rattle the windows and despite the warmth Ned felt more than one draft. “I think we’re going to get snowed in,” Anne said as she brought him a cup of coffee. “I’m glad you picked me up. I’d be stranded alone in town.”

  For the first time in awhile, he smiled. “Thanks for coming with me. I’d get a little stir crazy and lonely out here by myself.” He settled down on the couch and gestured for Anne to join him. She sat beside him and they both gazed through the window. Her warm hand crept into his and Ned savored her body heat. “You’re cold,” she said, her tone accusing.

  “Maybe a little,” he said. Anne leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you?”

  She coughed with a harsh bark. “I’m freezing. I still think I’m coming down with a cold.”

  Tenderness welled up in his heart for Anne. Ned pulled the old Mexican serape blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. “Come here,” he said and pulled her close. “Let me help you get warmed up. You want to watch some television or listen to music?”

  “Music would be nice,” Anne said. “Do you have some of that pow-wow stuff?”

  Ned chuckled. “If you mean various Native American songs and chants, yeah, I’ve got lots. It’s not all Comanche though.”

  “That’s fine.”

  He put some CD’s in to play, refilled his coffee mug and repositioned himself with Anne. She snuggled against him and despite the winds buffeting the house Ned found himself as contented as he’d been in a long time. He’d lain in his lodge long ago on winter days as nasty as this, happy and lazy. Then, as now, there’d been a fire for heat, a woman to love, and the space of time to do nothing but exist. They listened to the music and after a few hours, Anne stirred from a near somnolent state. “I should make us some lunch. I meant to make chili or something, but I got too comfortable to stir.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not hungry but if you are, there’s all the soup and stuff you had me buy.”

  “Soup sounds pretty good, but if you want a hamburger, I’ll warm one up for you.”

  Her thoughtfulness pleased Ned. She’d found some pre-cooked frozen burgers at the supermarket, which heated in the microwave, and they were edible as well as easy. “You know me pretty good, don’t you?”

  Anne twisted her head around and smiled. “I think maybe I do. Do you want one?”

  “Make it a double with a slice of cheese in between,” he said. “Are you having soup?”

  She sniffled. “I think I’ll have a bowl of chicken noodle. I’ll go make lunch in a minute. I just hate to move.”

  “So don’t.”

  Anne laughed and shook her head. “I need to, though.”

  After a few minutes she unwound out of the blanket and headed for the kitchen. Ned followed and while she warmed the food, he stared out the side window at the blizzard. His vision ended after a few feet and after that nothing but solid white loomed. He opened his mouth to comment and the lights dimmed for a few seconds. Anne, at the stove, glanced up, a worry line wrinkling her forehead. “Do you think we’ll lose power?”

  “I think it’s likely. If so, though, it’ll be all right. We’ve got the fireplace and plenty of logs outside the backdoor. There’s food and I’ve got some oil lamps. I probably should get them out after we eat, just in case.”

  “I hope the electricity stays on anyway. Aren’t you worried?”

  “Nope, I’ve done fine without it. Real power doesn’t come over a line. It’s in the wind and this storm. We’ll do fine, but let’s eat while the food’s hot.”

  Anne brought a plate with his double cheeseburger and sat across from him. “We’ll still be able to use the range, won’t we?”

  “Oh, yeah, we should. It’s propane. No microwave, but we can cook over the fireplace if we need to, honey. Don’t worry.”

  Her half-smile was weak. “I’m trying not to, Ned. Will we be snowed in, do you think?”

  “Maybe a day or two. It’s hard to tell until the snow quits.” She didn’t seem reassured so he added, “Anne, I could take care of us out in the weather if necessary.”

  She did smile then, a full-wattage expression. “If anyone could, it’d be you, Ned. I guess I don’t have anything to worry about.”

  He watched her spoon soup into her mouth, her motions dainty and neat. Ned ate his burger, savoring the taste of the meat, but he was a little preoccupied. He’d told her the truth, but he had a single worry he wouldn’t share with Anne. As long as they remained inactive, he’d be fine but if they made love – which he intended to do – and expended a lot of energy, he’d need blood. Ned refused to take more from Anne. He’d done it twice and a third time would turn her. He wouldn’t without her knowledge and permission. Even then, he’d be hesitant because he knew all too well what kind of existence she’d endure. He could take blood from one of the ponies if he had to but he’d need more since it wasn’t human. But he’d manage well enough.

  The kitchen remained chillier than the front room and after lunch, Ned noticed Anne rubbing her hands together. “Still cold?”

  Anne shivered. “Uh-huh.”

  Ned put his arms around her and kissed her mouth with slow, deliberate heat. “I know a way to warm up, honey,” he said as he nuzzled her neck with his lips.

  She caught her breath and her hands tugged at the flannel shirt he wore. Anne’s fingers fumbled at the buttons and undid the first three. “I like the way you think,” she murmured.

  He led her into the bedroom but even with his lower than normal body temperature Ned noticed the chill. He could see Anne’s breath. “Honey, you’ll freeze if we do it here,” he said.

  “I don’t mind,” she said. “Under the covers, we’ll be warm enough.”

  She reached the bottom button and peeled his shirt from his body then ran an icy hand beneath his thermal underwear. His nipples hardened in response to her frigid touch and he moaned. “Anne,” he said. Her mouth clamped over his and stopped the rest of the sentence. Her lips touched off a fever in his blood. Ned responded, body tingling with want and aching with need. His cool body came to life with rising passion, his cock stirring to attention. As he pulled Anne’s sweater off, removed her lace-trimmed bra and slid his hand down the flat of her belly to unbutton her jeans, he burned. Invisible fire kindled and leapt between their bodies.

  A hunger he must fill raged within so Ned worked her tight denims down to her ankles. Anne kicked the pants away and within moments, they faced each other, nude and shivering, but not with cold. Ned admired the matching globes of her breasts and used his fingertips to trace the darker nipples. Each perked at his touch. He traced an invisible line down her throat and between her tits. Goose pimples erupted on her skin and he wondered if the cold or his touch were the cause. He caught her in a tight embrace and kissed her until he didn’t think she could breathe. Ned released her and knelt. He let his fingers crawl up her leg, slow and tantalizing until they reached her pussy. He covered her mound with one hand and smiled. Her heat centered here and he craved it.

  Anne stepped a few paces to the rear until her knees backed against the mattress. Ned thrust a tentative finger into her twat then changed his mind. He bent his head and put his mouth over the tender lips of her opening. Warmth rushed toward him in a wave so sweet he thought he might drown in it. She moaned and he shifted position so he could insert his tongue into her inferno. Ned tasted the salt, the peculiar flavor of a woman and savored it. He switched tongue for finger and then pushed her back onto the bed. She splayed her legs wide and without any further foreplay he slammed into her. The walls of her pussy contracted hot and tight around his dick, bathing it with extreme pleasure.

  He came in and out several times, fast and furious. Each time, she whimpered with delight and the
sound enticed him to repeat his actions.

  By the time they came, Anne begged and Ned couldn’t hold back any longer. He slammed in deeper than before and paused. Sensation reverberated through him, sharper than a blade, more powerful than electricity and he cried out, unable to contain his release. Anne wailed and shrieked then shuddered still as he flopped beside her, spent and satisfied.

  They basked together for a few minutes before she shivered and shuddered. “I’m freezing,” she said with a light laugh. Despite her amusement Ned realized how cold she must be and he pulled the comforter around them. Their body heat banished some of the chill but as the sharp winds rocked the house, he realized temperatures must have been dropping outside.

  “Wait,” he said.

  “What am I waiting for?”

  “You’ll see,” Ned said. He paddled across to the closet and reached into the depths. He pulled out two bundles and carried them into the front room. He unrolled the buffalo hides onto the floor in front of the fire, the first with fur side up they could lie upon and the other fur side down to cover them. He fetched Anne and when she saw the hides, she smiled, face pink and pretty with a blush.

  “Should I get dressed first?” she asked but he shook his head.

  “Crawl into the furs with me,” he said. “We’ll get warm and stay that way.”

  Anne hesitated then dropped low and crawled onto the first skin. Ned joined her and pulled the other hide over them. They were tucked tight into a pocket of buffalo, the fur soft and luxurious beneath their nude flesh. “Oh, this is so nice,” Anne murmured. “But I’m surprised you didn’t insist we go out to the lodge.”

  If he’d thought about it, they probably would have. “It’d be just as warm,” he said. “But we’ve got a few more creature comforts in the house.”

  “Like?”

  Her warm body tucked against his created a temptation but Ned did his best to resist. If he yielded, he’d be out biting a pony within the hour. “Well, in the house I don’t have to freeze my cock off if I need to piss,” he said and Anne giggled.